


Cuddlibus

by Destielshipper4Cas



Category: Supernatural
Genre: (not quite) Incubus Castiel, Alpha Dean, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Bottom Castiel, Creature Castiel (Supernatural), Cuddling & Snuggling, Cuddling Castiel/Dean Winchester, Demisexual Castiel (Supernatural), Eventual Smut, First Time, Fluff and Smut, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Happy Ending, Human Dean Winchester, M/M, Omega Castiel, Omega Verse, Pining, Roommates, Scenting, Sharing a Bed, Top Dean
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-02
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:02:13
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 10,755
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28505658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Destielshipper4Cas/pseuds/Destielshipper4Cas
Summary: As a cuddlibus—a subspecies of incubi—Cas needs regular cuddles to survive. Dean is more than happy to let his best friend feed off him.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 733
Kudos: 1158





	1. Chapter 1

Dean’s best friend and roommate was a—get this— _cuddlibus_. Yep, it was as adorable as it sounded and the best part was that Dean got to tease Cas for it mercilessly.

As far as Dean had gleaned from observing Cas (and maybe reading up on it), cuddlibi needed regular cuddles because touch was what they fed on. Seemed like cuddlibi were basically asexual incubi. The irony was kind of hilarious.

The only catch was that Cas got all of his cuddles from his non-human friends since their energy levels wouldn’t get drained the way a human’s would. He actually shied away from Dean’s touch, which was a bit insulting because Dean _had_ touched him before without falling into a deep slumber of one hundred years or whatever Cas was afraid would happen.

(Dean had done some research and humans were able to touch cuddlibi without consequences. It was a full-blown cuddle session that would leave you a bit drowsy. And even then it was nothing a short nap wouldn’t cure.)

When they had first moved in together, refraining from bumping his shoulder against Cas’ or squeezing his arm when the situation called for it had been hard—especially since his scent was kind of asking for people to touch him. A sort of siren’s scent to lure people in to give him a hug. (Cas denied that and insisted that cuddlibi didn’t have a special scent, but Dean had never smelled an omega with such an alluring scent in his life, so he was pretty sure Cas was full of it.)

In any case, Dean had to train himself to subdue all of those instincts because of Cas’ weird hang-ups in regard to touching humans.

Only now that they were in their late thirties, their friends were all settling down. Cas’ sister, Anna, already had two pups and a third one on the way, which left no time to come by to give Cas the necessary cuddles. And his oldest friend, Balthazar, had recently moved abroad.

Dean wasn’t too sad about that. Balthazar was actually an alpha _incubus_ , so Dean had always wondered if there had been more going on behind Cas’ closed door than innocent cuddling. Maybe a tit-for-tat kind of thing where in exchange for cuddles, Cas had to give Balthazar what he wanted, too.

Even though Dean had initially been happy to see Balthazar from behind, that changed when without his weekly dose of cuddle time, Cas started to look tired and pale.

This was ridiculous! Dean was right here, willing to provide all the physical contact Cas needed, and yet the omega preferred to starve himself.

Since Cas was one stubborn cuddlibus, Dean had to come up with a plan to get him to use him as his new go-to guy for touching purposes.

So, late one night when he’d had enough of watching his best friend lose weight, he knocked on his door and poked his head in.

Cas was sitting on his bed, hugging a pillow, which he quickly released the second Dean came in, pretending he hadn’t just tried to substitute human (or, well non-human) contact with a pillow. That was one cuddlibus in dire need of some cuddles right there, and Dean was dead set on tricking him into accepting them.

“Hey, Cas, I can’t fall asleep, mind using some of your mojo on me?”

Yeah, he should totally have seen the confused head tilt coming.

“You know, do your thing.” He twirled his fingers to illustrate his point. “Hug me to sleep or whatever.”

Aaaand cue the squinty eyes. “This isn’t some kind of superpower I have, Dean.”

“Wait a second—you’re telling me you’re not Sleepman?” Dean fake gasped. “And here I thought I had your secret identity all figured out.”

Cas didn’t seem amused, though. “I’m sure a glass of warm milk with honey will work just fine.”

“Nah. Already tried that. Come on, man, I need your help here. Don’t leave me hanging.”

Those were the magic words. Cas was a great friend and one who would never turn anyone away who was asking for help, least of all Dean. He got up off the bed and came towards him. After twenty years of friendship, they would finally share their first hug. About damn time.

But Cas just reached out and gently pressed two fingers to his forehead. After no more than a couple of seconds, he lowered his hand again, severing the contact.

“Are you kidding me with this? You couldn’t have put a _mouse_ to sleep with that. C’mere.” He opened his arms, waiting patiently for Cas to hesitantly step up to him before pulling him into a full body hug.

“Dean—be careful,” Cas mumbled into his shoulder.

“Don’t worry, I won’t squish you.”

Again, his sense of humor was lost on Cas. “I mean it, Dean. Don’t let me hurt you,” he said, holding himself stiff as a board.

Since Cas seemed seriously concerned, he simply said, “I won’t” and hugged him tighter.

There was a little bit of a tingling sensation throughout his body that might indicate Cas was feeding on the contact, but it might as easily have been the fact that Dean finally got to touch the omega. What with the low-key crush he had on him, some weird tingling sensations were to be expected.

Taking full advantage of the embrace, Dean was stroking up and down Cas’ back, making sure the omega got a good cuddle out of it.

With a soft sigh, Cas finally relaxed into the hug, and—yeah, maybe the tingling _was_ him feeding after all because it intensified and left him a bit light-headed. But Dean was more than okay with that. He hoped he could provide a nice meal for his friend.

All too soon, Cas pulled away. For the first time in a few weeks, there was at least some color back in his cheeks, so Dean counted that as a win, even though his cuddle dates with Balthazar had lasted about an hour and a simple hug probably couldn’t make up for a one-hour cuddle session.

“Try to go to sleep now,” Cas said, reminding Dean of the excuse for why they had shared the hug in the first place.

“Yeah, thanks,” Dean replied, even though he wasn’t particularly tired. He could have easily hugged Cas for another five minutes… or hours.

But with this paranoid cuddlibus who thought his hugs were poisonous or something, he’d have to take baby steps.

Thinking about the hug and the strange (but very welcome) sensations that came with it, Dean didn’t fall asleep until the early hours of the morning. Luckily, it was Sunday and he could sleep in, so he didn’t think much of it.

Until Cas came bursting in, waking him up from a pleasant dream.

“Whu?” Dean asked eloquently.

“You overslept!” Cas said in an accusing tone of voice. “I thought…” He trailed off, shook his head, and tried again, “You never sleep this long!”

“I told you. I had trouble falling asleep.” That might originally have been a little white lie, but since karma was a bitch, it had turned into the truth. A quick glance at his alarm clock told him that he’d only had about three hours of sleep. Way too early to have a pissed off omega in his room.

“We were hugging for one minute and twenty seconds,” Cas said, and of course the geek would have kept count of how long they’d been touching.

“So? I told you a simple hug from you guys won’t just magically put us humans to sleep. I can’t believe that I have a better understanding of your species than you do.”

Instead of acknowledging that Dean was an expert on cuddlibi, Cas grumbled, “Well… don’t just oversleep without warning me!” and walked out of his room in a huff.

⁂

“Again?” Cas asked that evening when Dean was seeking him out once more. “Maybe you should go see a doctor about your sleep problems.”

“Who needs a doctor when I have my own cuddlibus right here?” Dean raised his eyebrows for emphasis, but Cas never got his attempts at flirting with him and this time was no different.

“You said it didn’t even work,” Cas replied, unimpressed.

“Yeah, because you pulled away after two seconds.”

“Eighty seconds,” Cas corrected.

“Eighty seconds,” Dean amended. “Which is obviously not enough time to make me sleepy. It would make a lot more sense if you used your cuddle powers on me while we’re in bed.”

Okay, that might come across as a bit suggestive, which was why he added, “Fully clothed,” which somehow made it worse since now he had drawn attention to the image of them cuddling _naked_.

Way to freak Cas out.

“Okay.”

Wait—had he actually succeeded in convincing Cas?

“But only if you tell me when you’re getting tired.”

“Deal.”

Seemed like mission ‘keep Cas well-fed’ was a go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don’t know why I’m still so nervous when posting a first chapter of a new fic, but I have no idea if this is something people are interested in.
> 
> I hope you like the premise / first chapter, and if you’re interested in more, let me know in the comment section. 💖


	2. Chapter 2

Going from being careful to never accidentally touch Cas to touching him with intent all the time was strange, but awesome.

At first, Cas tensed up yet again when Dean reached out to pull him into a hug. They were lying on Dean’s bed on top of the covers, and all the times Dean had imagined getting Cas into his bed—this wasn’t quite how he had pictured it. Yet, it was still so much better than he could have imagined it. Probably because it wasn’t just a fantasy, but reality.

After a while of Dean just holding him, Cas finally began feeding, turning into his side and nuzzling against him tentatively. This time, Dean was prepared for the strange tingling that spread throughout his body from wherever Cas was touching him. It was a very welcome feeling, though, warm and thrilling and like getting massaged with feather-light touches all over.

Cas tried to slip out of his bed a few times when he thought Dean had fallen asleep, but Dean just pulled him right back against him every time with a, “Not tired yet,” cuddling him some more. There was a very good chance that snuggling a cuddlibus was addictive because there was no feeling quite like it. But Dean really couldn’t care less. He’d kind of been addicted to Cas before all of this, so it wasn’t like it made much of a difference.

He did get a bit sleepy eventually, and since he had promised, he informed Cas of the development. The omega immediately jumped out of bed as if it had suddenly caught on fire, which ironically made Dean completely alert again.

But he didn’t want to scold Cas for it, so he just closed his eyes, trying not to think too much about how he’d have preferred to still have the omega in his arms, and drifted off eventually.

What had been nothing but an excuse to provide a decent cuddle meal for his best friend, turned out to do him good, too. Not in the way that he finally got to touch that cuddlibus, which of course was a huge bonus, but because he actually got a good night’s sleep out of it.

Who woulda thunk that Dean ‘four hours of sleep is enough’ Winchester could sleep through the night, without nightmares to wake him up and make it impossible to go back to sleep?

Of course, it also had the intended effect: Cas had more energy and wasn’t walking around like some kind of zombie anymore.

They repeated the cuddle session a few days later and then again the next weekend.

Since falling asleep in your normal clothes was inconvenient, they switched to cuddling in their PJs, which had the added benefit of being more comfy and snuggly. Those were the right kind of clothes for an extended cuddle session.

What was a bit disappointing was that it was always Dean who had to bring it up—Cas was probably still under the impression that it was all for Dean’s benefit. Which was fine. Whatever. He could initiate their cuddle time if it meant the stubborn cuddlibus of a best friend stopped depriving himself of the contact he required.

At least, the more they got into a routine, the more relaxed Cas became during their cuddle sessions. Of course, it might have something to do with the fact that their physical contact wasn’t having any adverse effects on Dean (as he had been telling him from the beginning).

That wasn’t a surprise as after a while, the feeding always stopped. Apparently, Cas could control whether he wanted to feed on Dean while cuddling or not, and when he was full, the tingling feeding sensation would get weaker and weaker and then stop altogether. They always continued cuddling for a while after, neither of them mentioning that it didn’t really serve a purpose anymore.

“Do I make as good a meal as Balthazar?” Dean asked one time when they were cuddling in his bed. He had no idea where that had come from, but maybe cuddlibi who were feeding on you had their ways of loosening your tongue.

“Actually, it’s easier for me to feed on you,” Cas replied and proceeded to do just that, snuggling against him more tightly.

Dean hummed, signaling that he understood, even though he didn’t really. That’s why he checked to make sure, “Because I’m human?”

There was a beat of silence that went on for a little bit too long before Cas said, “Yes.”

Obvious lie notwithstanding, Cas started sharing things about how the feeding process usually worked. Only little tidbits here or there, but Dean filed them away carefully and used them to give Cas exactly what he needed.

For example one evening, while Dean had him securely in his arms, Cas revealed that it wasn’t just about physical contact and holding each other but about ‘active cuddling.’

From then on, Dean tried switching it up, changing positions, spooning him from behind and letting his hands roam all over the omega to cuddle him more ‘actively.’

Then there was the time Cas bumbled his way through a sheepish explanation about how there was a bundle of nerve endings that lent itself to be fed on particularly well—which was how his nose ended up buried against Dean’s neck, tickling his scent gland.

Dean loved engaging in some tender scenting and adding that to their repertoire of cuddle positions.

The only problem: Dean was _not_ an asexual cuddlibus. He was a very sexual human being, thank you very much. So, getting to touch his crush intimately and cuddle the bejeezus out of him on a regular basis was taking its toll on little Dean.

After the one time where he had to squirm around a lot so that Cas wouldn’t find out that he was sporting a boner, he knew he had to do something. He had just gotten lucky that Cas was rather clueless and hadn’t picked up on the scent of his arousal, or at least hadn’t commented on it. From then on, in order not to freak Cas out, he took care of his urges before each cuddle session to prevent a problem from ‘coming up’ mid-cuddle.

That worked well enough, but then Cas got comfortable enough with him to mention (albeit with slightly pink cheeks) that skin on skin contact helped with feedings.

Dean, always the suave alpha (well, usually, as long as Cas wasn’t concerned), fumbled around a bit until he could slip his fingers under Cas’ pajama shirt so he could stroke his warm, smooth skin.

Moving his hand to Cas’ hip, he used it to pull the omega back against him.

Oh so slowly—hesitantly, as if he wasn’t sure he was allowed—Cas wormed his own hand underneath Dean’s shirt, fingers splaying out over his chest. He didn’t start feeding, though, just stayed like that for a moment and stared at Dean all intensely. Dean held eye contact, the moment charged with potential and possibility.

Then there was a very tentative tickling, as if Cas was just taking a small sip. Even so, it still felt more intense somehow. Remembering that he was supposed to cuddle Cas more actively, too, he resumed stroking his hip and then moved his hand up his side.

“What’s it feel like for you?” he asked, letting his fingertips dance over Cas’ skin, hoping that it felt half as good for him as it did for Dean.

The feeding stopped and Cas tilted his head at him in his confused Cas way.

“I mean, is it like eating a burger?” Dean clarified. “Does it… taste like anything?”

“It tastes like you,” Cas replied slowly, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “Like your scent. I guess it feels like scenting and cuddling for humans, too, only I feed off it.”

“Oh. Okay.” What had he expected to hear? That he gave Cas butterflies deep in his belly?

The thought of Cas’ stomach made his hand slip to the front so that he could give said belly a quick fondle.

Even if Cas didn’t feel it, for Dean, it was like his insides were being tickled by butterfly wings flapping around. Stupid crush. Adult alphas weren’t supposed to feel that way. Then again, when adult alphas had an omega in their bed and were cuddling with them as much as he and Cas did, they mostly got to fuck them, too. Maybe that would take care of all those confusing feelings. After all, Dean didn’t _do_ profound feelings.

Still, just a few weeks ago, he’d never have imagined he’d get to be this close to Cas, get to touch him, and stroke him, and hold him in his arms. So what if he didn’t get to fuck him? You had to be happy with what you got. And getting to have all of this? Was pretty damn awesome.

Suddenly, Cas scrambled away from him, and that’s when he realized he was yawning.

Dammit.

Cas was still very skittish whenever Dean exhibited any signs of drowsiness.

“Night, Cas,” Dean said because he knew there was no way he’d convince him to rejoin him in bed.

Such a shame. But at least Cas had gotten his dinner out of the cuddle session, and Dean would have a dreamless sleep.

Or maybe not completely dreamless, but a sleep filled with good dreams rather than nightmares.


	3. Chapter 3

Today was a cuddle day and since it was already evening, it wouldn’t be long until he had Cas back in his bed… uhm, arms, which put Dean in a good mood.

Right up until the doorbell rang and Cas’ sister whooshed past him to draw her brother into a hug before kissing him on the cheek.

That was nothing new, they always greeted each other like that. But now that Dean knew what to look for, he could see the signs of Cas feeding off the physical affection bestowed upon him.

Even the kiss. Especially the kiss. Interesting.

“Why didn’t you tell me about Balthazar?” Anna asked. “I would have come sooner. You must be starved.” Before Cas could answer, she leaned back a bit, her hands still holding on to his shoulders, to look him up and down. Then she added, “You don’t look starved. You look _good_.”

“Thank you. You too.”

“No, seriously. You’re practically glowing. Are you pregnant, too?”

Cas’ eyes flitted to Dean, who was watching the siblings with barely concealed interest, before focusing on Anna again, mumbling, “I just fed recently,” by way of explanation.

“Had to have been a good meal. It suits you.”

Dean’s chest was swelling with pride. Now that Anna had pointed it out, Cas really did look good. Well, he always did, of course, but there was definitely a significant change between now and shortly after Balthazar had left. And _he_ was the reason why Cas was all healthy and ‘glowing.’

“Did you find a more… compatible cuddler?” Anna asked and for some reason, she looked over at Dean.

“Why don’t we go to my room?” Cas suggested, suddenly uncomfortable, and unfortunately, that put an end to Dean’s eavesdrop opportunities.

⁂

Anna stayed way too long, probably offering all the cuddles Cas might need so that he’d be full by the time it was Dean’s turn.

When she finally had to go back home to her family, Dean’s good mood had evaporated, especially since Cas didn’t even say anything to him, just went right back into his own room.

So, Dean had no choice but to get ready for bed and for a restless night.

He was just changing into his pajamas when Cas walked right into his room, already in his PJs, and slipped into his bed as if he belonged there. (He totally did, but that was beside the point.)

“You coming?” he asked when Dean just stood there, shirtless, since he had been in the process of putting on his pajama shirt and Cas didn’t understand the concept of knocking.

Dean blinked a couple of times, but Cas was still there. Not a hallucination then.

This was the first time Cas was initiating a cuddle session—even though he had to be full after a visit from his sister.

Yes, they had established a kind of routine and Cas probably knew that it was a cuddle day, but still, it was as close to him asking for a cuddle as he had ever come. Of course, there was the fact that Cas didn’t think it was about _him_ getting a cuddle meal at all, but about Dean.

“Dean?” Cas asked, which broke the spell.

He stopped staring and quickly put on his pajama shirt so that he could join Cas in bed.

“Look, if you’re not hungry, you don’t need to—” Dean started, but was interrupted by the familiar feeling of tingling sensations running through his entire body as Cas burrowed against him.

“Don’t worry. Anna didn’t cuddle me,” he mumbled into his shoulder. “I told her you need help falling asleep.”

Oh. Well, in that case… There was something he wanted to try.

He rested his lips against Cas’ temple, holding still for a moment before moving them ever so slightly.

“Dean?” The feeding stopped and Cas cocked his head at him.

“This is helping, right?” Dean asked. “Anna does it all the time, so I figured…” he trailed off, letting Cas figure out what he meant. Even though Anna didn’t do exactly _this_ all the time. It was more like a peck when she did it, no lingering, certainly no… nuzzling for lack of a better word.

“I wouldn’t want to make you uncomfortable…” Cas said.

He was totally dodging the question, but that was okay. Dean knew the answer anyway.

“I’m not uncomfortable.”

Actually, lightly pressing his lips against Cas’ temple, cheek, and neck felt very comfortable. Enjoyable. Could be a new hobby of his.

He thought of a bundle of nerve endings that was Cas’ favorite to feed on and pressed a kiss to his scent gland. Then another one. The third time around, he didn’t pull back, but took the sensitive skin of the gland between his lips, nibbling carefully.

“Dean,” Cas said on a soft moan, eyes half-lidded. He looked almost stoned, making Dean wonder if there were different flavors for cuddlibi depending on what kind of cuddles they got.

He knew Cas couldn’t get drunk on alcohol, at least not unless he went on a full-blown bender. Could he get drunk off just the right kind of touch? Suddenly, he wanted nothing more but to find out.

Dean’s lips were tingling now, too, wherever he was touching Cas with them.

God, how he wanted to brush his lips against Cas’! But that might tip the cuddlibus off to his crush. Cas was oblivious at best and downright naïve concerning human interactions (or, well, human- _cuddlibus_ interactions), but even he might clue in to the fact that if someone started making out with you, it was a sign they were interested in you… in a way that Cas couldn’t reciprocate.

So, he kept his platonic kisses to safe places, watching Cas’ eyelids flutter, which made him kiss both of his eyelids, too, unable to resist.

As always, somewhere during their cuddle time, the feeding stopped, but Cas didn’t open his eyes again, and eventually, he started snoring softly, still pressed up against Dean, who kept the cuddles coming regardless of whether Cas needed them.

Dean couldn’t help but smile. What a cute little cuddlibus. Maybe he was a little bit drunk on Dean’s cuddles, but either way, he had finally let his guard down. About damn time.

He’d have to remember these little tricks to get Cas relaxed and comfortable enough to fall asleep next to him. The only thing he hated about their cuddle time was when Cas would inevitably scurry out of bed like a scared kitten. Getting to drift off with Cas still in his arms was a much better ending to a nice cuddle sesh.

Surrounded by the warmth of his cuddlibus, he closed his own eyes, ready to fall asleep himself.

⁂

He woke up to Cas talking frantically on his cell phone. He was pacing back and forth on the other side of the room.

At first, Dean didn’t catch everything—was that their address he was rattling off?—and a look at the alarm clock told him that it was 2:38.

“What’s going on?” Dean asked, trying to get his brain to work, even though he would prefer Cas to stop pacing and come back to bed because this wasn’t even early in the morning, this was smack dab in the middle of the night!

Cas looked over at him and told whoever he was on the phone with, “He’s awake now. What do I do?”

He listened to whatever was being said on the other end of the line and then turned back to Dean. “Are you alert?”

“Who’re you on the phone with?” Dean asked a question of his own because it wasn’t like Cas had told him what the hell was going on.

“9-1-1.”

Dean snorted at Cas’ strange sense of humor. Only, Cas didn’t grin his ‘gotcha’ smirk.

“Wait—you’re serious?!”

“He seems to be,” Cas told the 9-1-1 operator while keeping an eye on Dean.

“Yes, of _course_ I am ‘alert,’ you just woke me up. Give me that!” He made grabby hands for the phone until Cas finally handed it over.

There really was a 9-1-1 dispatcher on the line—it was definitely no joke Cas was trying to play on him. From what Dean could gather, Cas had freaked out because after he had poked Dean, all Dean had done was roll over and keep snoring. (He so didn’t snore.)

It took some convincing, but eventually, the 9-1-1 operator believed him when he said that there was no emergency, he was wide awake, thank you very much, and Cas had just overreacted.

“What the hell, man?” Dean asked once he had hung up.

“You were asleep,” Cas said as if that explained everything. Or anything, really.

“Of _course_ I was asleep, it’s the middle of the friggen _night_! I don’t know about cuddlibi, but humans tend to sleep at night.” Of course, he knew very well that cuddlibi slept at night just like humans did, but he was an angry sleeper and being woken at 2:38 at night didn’t put him in the best mood.

“But I was asleep, too,” Cas hastened to explain. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep, but when I woke up, we were all cuddled up with each other…” Yeah, Dean so wasn’t gonna comment on that part. “And I… I might have fed on you subconsciously…”

“Okay, this has _got_ to stop,” Dean interrupted him, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You realize that even if that _had_ been the case, the worst that could have happened is I’d have slept through the night, right?” As opposed to being rudely awoken and having to deal with all of _this_ when he hadn’t even had a cup of coffee.

“You don’t know that,” Cas said, sad tilt to his mouth.

“I do, actually.”

Cas was looking at him for a long moment. “I think you should find another way to fall asleep,” he finally said and then slipped out of the room without a backward glance.

Son of a bitch. And here Dean had thought things were going so well.


	4. Chapter 4

Obviously, Dean had done some research when he had first met Cas and found out about his species. So yeah, he knew the basics. Of _course_ , cuddlibi needed to be cuddled every once in a while—it was in their _name_. And of course, they were harmless and couldn’t hurt humans—otherwise they would be on the list of dangerous species, right there alongside werewolves, djinn and ghouls.

That had been good enough for him back then, but now some more research was in order if he wanted to show Cas that they could cuddle as much as they wanted without repercussions. And Dean definitely wanted to cuddle that omega some more.

The easiest way to gather information was to turn to the second biggest geek he knew aside from Cas.

Unfortunately, Sam wasn’t in a very helpful mood when he called him. _“Can’t you just ask Cas these questions?”_

“You would think so, wouldn’t you?” Dean retorted and proceeded to explain what was going on (only leaving out some of the cuddle details Sam would only make fun of him for).

Once he was through, Sam relented, _“Yeah, okay, I’ll see what I can dig up.”_

Being the nerd he was, Cas would undoubtedly respond better to hard facts and numbers, so Dean hoped Sam would be able to provide him with enough evidence to make a convincing argument.

For now, he had to wait… And maybe browse the internet a bit himself because patience wasn’t his strong suit.

⁂

“What’re you doing?” Cas asked when he entered the living room.

Dean was sitting on the couch, laptop open on his knees, happy with the new plan he had cooked up. He didn’t even need to wait for Sam to finish his research. He had it all figured out.

“Did you know that there is a whole site where humans and cuddlibi who want to cuddle can meet and make cuddle dates?”

Cas was sitting down next to him, as always careful not to touch him, and looked at the screen.

“I created a cuddle profile—see?” He pointed at his profile picture.

He had chosen the one where he was wearing his old ‘I wuv hugz’ shirt. It had been sort of a joke, but it turned out that it had served him well. Next to the picture, it said, ‘species: human’ and underneath, he had written ‘searching for a cuddlibus to cuddle all night long.’

“At first, I thought there’s no way I’d find someone because there are so many more humans on here than cuddlibi, but I’ve gotten _three_ messages so far and I’ve been on here for—what? Two hours? Apparently, I look ‘cuddly.’ Do I look cuddly to you?”

Obviously not if the narrowed eyes and stone cold expression were anything to go by. Maybe he should wear his ‘I wuv hugz’ shirt in Cas’ presence. Seemed to be a cuddlibi magnet.

“Anyway, Inias is coming by tonight. He only lives one hour away.”

That was the beauty of his plan. It would show Cas once and for all that he didn’t pose a danger to him. Dean and Inias would cuddle through the entire night and then the next day, Cas would see that nothing bad had happened, that he’d been worrying for nothing, and then Dean could go back to cuddling with _Cas_.

When Cas only glared daggers at him, he held up his hands and said, “Hey, you’re the one who told me to find another way to fall asleep.”

“Another way,” Cas repeated. “This is the _same_ way only with a _stranger_.”

“Yeah, well, none of the registered users on Cuddlimeet seem to think there’s anything to worry about.”

Cas just got up and left the room in a huff. Well, he’d see tomorrow morning that there had been no reason to get his panties in a bunch.

⁂

Inias was the first cuddlibus apart from Cas and his sister that Dean had ever met. He would have been curious to see him and Cas interact, but Cas was nowhere to be seen. He didn’t like meeting new people, so he was probably holed up in his room. It reminded Dean of back in the day when he had occasionally brought a one-night stand home. Cas had never been around then, either.

Getting ready to cuddle with a stranger was a bit weird. It would be easier if they were here to fuck. At least he knew the etiquette for one-night stands. One-night cuddles? Not so much.

Inias didn’t start feeding immediately. Instead, he began scenting a bit, and Dean supposed it was only polite to scent back. But even though Inias was an omega, Dean’s alpha didn’t like what he smelled, so he lied, “I’m not really into scenting,” which got Inias to stop getting too cozy with his scent gland.

Since Cas was the only cuddlibus who had ever fed on him, he had assumed this nice tingly sensation was just what it felt like when a cuddlibus fed off the cuddles you gave them. Turned out that it didn’t necessarily have to feel that way. There was almost an uncomfortable pull once Inias started feeding and Dean clamped his mouth shut and hoped for it to pass.

Anna’s words came back to him then, _“Did you find a more… compatible cuddler?”_

Maybe he and Inias weren’t ‘compatible cuddlers,’ whatever the hell that was supposed to mean.

With Cas, he had almost been disappointed whenever he stopped feeding. With Inias, he was relieved. Now they could finally go to sleep and in the morning, Dean would have his proof that cuddling through the night was harmless.

Only, Inias had other plans. His hands crept underneath Dean’s shirt and then down and—whoa!

Dean took Inias’ wrist to pull his hand away from his crotch.

“Watcha doing?”

Inias pulled his hand free, but didn’t make another attempt to grope Dean. “I thought that was obvious.”

“But you’re a _cuddlibus_ ,” Dean stressed.

“So?”

“I thought you guys weren’t into anything sexual.”

“Just because we don’t feed off sex like incubi doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it.”

All these years, Dean had thought it was inherent to his species. Seemed like it was just Cas.

“I didn’t want to hook up for sex,” Dean clarified. He had thought that would be obvious, seeing as Cuddlimeet made a huge deal out of the fact that it was all supposed to be platonic.

“I gathered as much. So—just cuddling?”

“Just cuddling,” Dean confirmed.

⁂

To exactly no one’s surprise, Dean was alive, awake and full of energy the next morning. He couldn’t wait to show Cas. _See? A whole night with a cuddlibus and I’m just fine._

Only Cas was still nowhere to be found—not in his room, not anywhere in the house.

Dean said goodbye to Inias, declined his offer for another cuddle date, and was just about to call Cas when his cell phone rang.

 _“So, get this…”_ And Sam was off talking about the symbiotic relationship between humans and cuddlibi, the advantages a cuddle session had for both species, and the different kinds of physical intimacy cuddlibi fed on.

_“…caressing and kissing when they’re in a monogamous cuddle relationship.”_

“A what now?” Dean interrupted him.

 _“Oh yeah. They’re very monogamous cuddlers. Don’t worry, you’re still allowed to touch and even hug other people. It’s not like you go around full-out_ cuddling _people anyway…”_

Had they been in a ‘cuddle relationship’? What even _was_ that? And how was Dean supposed to know?!

The way Cas had casually mentioned that his own sister hadn’t even cuddled him came to mind. _Don’t worry. Anna didn’t cuddle me._ Had that been his way of reassuring Dean that he hadn’t cuddle cheated on him?

And then he had gotten all weird when Dean had told him he was planning on cuddling with Inias. Dean had assumed it was because Cas still had this idea that cuddling a cuddlibus could hurt him. But maybe there had been another reason…

 _“Dean?”_ Sam asked and Dean realized that he had zoned out for a bit.

“ _He’s_ the one who broke it off,” he said. Even if they _had_ been in a ‘monogamous cuddle relationship’ (which Cas could have mentioned), Cas was the one who had wanted to stop cuddling with him.

There was a sigh on the other end of the line. _“What did you do?”_

Yeah, he really should have waited for Sam to finish his research…


	5. Chapter 5

As soon as Dean told him that he had found another cuddlibus to cuddle with, Castiel knew he had to get out of here. There was no way he could be just one room away while Dean was being all soft and snuggly with someone else.

If this was Dean’s way of trying to hurt him because he had told him they couldn’t cuddle anymore… well, it was working. His cuddlibus heart felt like it was being ripped to shreds, and it was yearning for the alpha’s loving tenderness to fix it.

But instead, Dean would only shower this _Inias_ with affection.

Inias seemed like the name of a stupid cuddlibus. He hoped Dean would choke on his cuddles. (Not too much, though. He still didn’t want bad things for Dean, even if the alpha was trying to get back at him in a rather juvenile way.)

Castiel didn’t feel good about inconveniencing his sister and her family, but since he couldn’t crash at Balthazar’s, he was out of options. So, he took his fluffy cuddle blanket in the hopes that it would make sleeping on their couch easier, and was on his way.

Anna took one look at him and the blanket in his arms, and yelled over her shoulder, “Cuddle pile!” before pulling him into a hug.

Castiel didn’t have time to protest, his niece and nephew already came running in, basically throwing themselves on him. His brother-in-law joined them shortly after and they all held onto each other in a big family group hug.

It did make him feel better, but only slightly since the thought of Dean cuddling with Inias was still making his skin crawl.

Once the pups were in bed, Anna started interrogating him, and he gave in and told her why he was here.

They were sitting on the couch in the living room—Castiel’s makeshift bed for the night—and Anna had made them hot chocolate, which helped with the desolate feeling a bit.

“He is human, Castiel,” Anna said once she had listened to what had transpired. “They have different attitudes towards cuddling.”

Anna had told him that before, but she was mated to a cuddlibus, so what did she know about humans and their cuddle customs?

“It’s just payback because he didn’t like it when I said I wouldn’t cuddle him to sleep anymore,” Castiel mumbled.

Dean could be stubborn like that. Had to be a human trait. Or maybe it was just a Dean trait.

Looking at him with sad eyes, Anna heaved a heavy-hearted sigh. “You don’t want to cuddle with him anymore?” she repeated, prompting him to explain himself.

But Castiel knew that she was well aware of the reason, so he didn’t say anything, and instead took another sip from his hot cocoa. He couldn’t really taste it the way he could taste cuddles, but counting the molecules was comforting anyway. Plus, it warmed him up a bit.

Instead of pushing, Anna just said, voice soft and quiet, “It wasn’t your fault, you know.”

She reached out to him, but Castiel turned away from her, and said, “I’m tired.”

He was done with this topic. They never agreed on what had happened anyway.

Tugging at the edges of his blanket, he waited for Anna to take the hint and leave him be. Eventually, she did, but of course, Castiel couldn’t fall asleep. It was too early, for one, and a few miles away, this Inias person was getting all of Dean’s cuddles.

Inias was one lucky cuddlibus. Dean’s cuddles were the best! Castiel had never tasted anything like it before.

He just hoped that Dean was careful. He didn’t seem aware of the dangers of interspecies cuddling.

⁂

By the next morning, Castiel was starting to feel cuddle starved. He had gotten used to regular cuddles from Dean. Even on days they hadn’t snuggled in Dean’s nest, the alpha had touched him throughout the day, providing him with a snack here and there.

So it was no wonder that Castiel had gotten complacent. After all, Dean’s touches were a lot more nutritious than anyone else’s due to how much he meant to Castiel. Having access to such a great source of cuddles and then suddenly going cold turkey was hard.

He called Dean on his cell, just to make sure he was okay, and when the alpha answered almost instantly, he said, “Good. You’re alive,” and hung up in the middle of Dean’s, “Cas, wait!”

He ignored Dean’s calls for the better part of the day, but eventually, it was time to go home. He just hoped that Dean hadn’t invited some other cuddlibus over (or worse, the _same_ cuddlibus).

His plan was to go hide in his room, but Dean was there to intercept him the moment he walked through the front door.

“Okay, before you say anything, let me just tell you what I found out,” he said while pulling Castiel along towards _Dean’s_ room.

Castiel held himself back from feeding off the little contact of Dean’s hand on his arm. Apparently, Dean had completely forgotten about their original ‘no touching’ rule they had lived by for years.

“First off, I was right,” Dean went on. “Cuddling with a cuddlibus through the whole night does not harm me in any way.”

They had just reached Dean’s room when Castiel ripped his arm free and turned around. He did not want to hear about this!

“Probably shouldn’t have started off with that,” Dean said and hurried after him. “So, apparently, we’re in some kind of cuddle relationship?” he asked once he had caught up with him and was once more blocking his way. “Which I was completely unaware of, and I wouldn’t have cuddled with Inias if you had… you know, _said_ something to me—about how we’re supposed to be faithful to each other and not cuddle cheat and shit? Would have been nice to know is all I’m sayin’.”

Castiel narrowed his eyes at him. Should Anna have been right? Were humans really _this_ clueless? How could anyone not know that cuddling with someone else was a deep betrayal of trust once you had developed such an intimate cuddle relationship like he and Dean had?

Of course, Castiel had _ended_ the cuddle relationship, so technically, Dean hadn’t cheated, but you usually waited at least a _little_ bit before looking for someone else to cuddle. Out of respect if nothing else.

“Well, we’re not in a cuddle relationship anymore, so you can cuddle whoever you want,” Castiel said, and made yet another attempt to get around Dean and to his room.

Saying that gave him a weird sense of satisfaction, but at the same time he felt a sharp pang in his chest because Dean might very well take his words to heart and start a cuddle relationship with _Inias_ , which was the last thing Castiel wanted.

Dean didn’t let himself be deterred, though, and he kept right on talking, as if Castiel hadn’t said anything, “There are actually quite a few health benefits for humans who are cuddling with cuddlibi. It makes you release some calming, feel-good hormones that are kind of like antidepressants… ask Sam, he knows about all this stuff.”

“Cuddling with humans will do that, too,” Castiel pointed out.

“Yeah, but the effect is increased, like, tenfold if it’s a cuddlibus. Anyway, I saved the best part for last.” He pointed at the watch on his left wrist, a wide grin on his face.

“You got a new watch?” How was that the ‘best part’?

“Yep. But not just any watch. Check this out. This baby monitors my heart rate and blood pressure, and even has a heart rate alarm that’ll wake you right up if something’s wrong. So, no need for calling emergency services anymore, you can just check the watch.”

That… was actually surprisingly thoughtful of Dean.

“Wanna give it a try?” Dean asked, opening his arms as an invitation for a quick cuddle.

Curious, Castiel took a step closer and let Dean encircle him in his arms. He just let himself be hugged for a few seconds, but he hadn’t eaten in 24 hours, so the urge to feed grew, especially with Dean stroking his back and holding him close.

Carefully, he began feeding on the cuddle energy offered so willingly. Every stroke of Dean’s hand, every touch felt _so_ good, and Castiel closed his eyes and just soaked it all up.

Once he was full, he held on to Dean for a moment longer before disentangling himself from the embrace.

“See?” Dean said, pushing his arm almost in Castiel’s face.

According to the smart watch, the hug hadn’t caused Dean’s heart beat to slow down at all. That was interesting, indeed.

“So… wanna go cuddle-steady?” Dean asked, raising his eyebrows in a move he usually reserved for flirting with a cute omega.

Castiel really, _really_ wanted to go cuddle-steady, so he nodded and gave Dean a shy smile because being on the receiving end of the alpha’s flirting energy was a bit unnerving and a lot exhilarating, even though Dean obviously didn’t mean it like _that_.

Still. Having Dean as his official cuddle alpha was certainly a thrilling prospect.


	6. Chapter 6

For the first time while cuddling together in Dean’s bed, there was no nervous energy about Cas at all. Seemed like Dean had finally found a way to keep him at ease.

Cas did look at Dean’s watch occasionally, which was a bit weird, having his heartbeat on display like that, but if it meant Cas wouldn’t jump out of bed or call emergency services in the middle of the night, Dean would take that as a win.

Now that Cas wasn’t afraid to cuddle him and let himself be cuddled in return, he actually took initiative and showed Dean some other cuddle positions. Apparently, there was a lot Dean could learn from Cas about how best to cuddle. It was mindboggling how many positions there were, but trust a cuddlibus to know them all.

It started off simple enough, with Dean’s arms around Cas’ shoulders, his chin resting on Cas’ head in a sort of lying hug while Cas was snuggling up against his side, their legs intermingling. Simple, but hella comfortable. Cuddlibi really knew what they were doing. In some of the cuddle positions, Cas would wrap himself around Dean until he couldn’t really tell where Cas started and he began.

They were in their pajamas, ready to finally spend the night together without any interruptions when Cas was showing him his favorite cuddle position, and that one was… some advanced cuddling technique right there.

Lying on their sides face to face, Cas’ legs were wrapped around Dean’s waist, and Dean’s right arm was wrapped around Cas’ body in return. His left arm was snuggled in tight between their bodies, and they were so close their cheeks and noses were rubbing together in cuddlibi kisses.

Oh yeah, and it brought Dean’s stomach in close proximity to… intimate parts of Cas’ body.

“Dean?”

“Hm?” Dean hummed, trying to hold still.

Cas leaned his head back a little so that he could look at him. “Why is your heart beating faster? Your heart rate should be _slowing_ _down_.”

Of course, Cas would notice. Stupid smartwatch!

“You know, new cuddle position and all,” Dean tried to explain it away. “Makes me nervous I’m not doing it right.”

“You’re doing it right,” Cas reassured him, all earnest.

Well, at least he had taken the excuse at face value.

“Kay,” Dean said.

Cas was clearly still suspicious, so he changed the subject. He’d been curious about it ever since his talk with Sam anyway. “So, were you in a monogamous cuddle relationship with Balthazar?”

“Balthazar and I were cuddling out of necessity.”

That wasn’t really an answer. Dean and Cas were kind of cuddling out of necessity, too. As far as Cas knew, they were doing it so that Dean would be able to sleep through the night. In reality, they were doing it so that Cas wouldn’t have to starve. Either way, ‘out of necessity’ described their whole cuddle relationship rather well.

That’s why he didn’t leave it at that, but dug deeper, “Was that why you never let me touch you? Because you didn’t want to cheat on him?”

“We weren’t like that,” Cas denied.

“Just fuck buddies then?”

Only Cas would be able to give him the squinty-eyed head tilt look while still being wrapped around him.

The innocent act wasn’t flying with Dean, though. “Don’t give me that. He’s an incubus!”

“So?”

“And an alpha.”

“ _So?_ ”

“So, you’re telling me his knot never saw the inside of your ass?”

Cas’ cheeks turned pink, and Dean already thought that answered his question, but then Cas said, “Don’t be crass,” and he realized that he had just offended his sensibilities. “I wasn’t in love with him,” Cas added.

This time it was Dean who said, “So?”

“You know I don’t sleep with people I don’t share a profound bond with.”

He didn’t sleep with people, period. But apparently, Dean had been worried for nothing, and even if Balthazar _had_ suggested a trade-off, Cas had turned him down. Good for him. He shouldn’t let himself be pressured by an incubus.

“Are you still nervous?” Cas asked after a moment of comfortable silence. “Your heartbeat isn’t slowing down.”

“Nah. I’m just not tired.”

Putting his hand on Dean’s chest, above his heart, Cas said, “I’m sorry. I’m not very good at making you fall asleep.”

“You’re fine. Don’t worry about it.”

But apparently, Cas did worry about it because a moment later, he mumbled, “I bet _Inias_ was better at it.”

The competitiveness was a bit strange, but seeing as the whole concept of a monogamous cuddle relationship seemed strange to him, Dean assumed it was a cuddlibus thing and didn’t think too much of it. Cuddling was part of who they were, so being a good cuddler might be a big deal to them in a way that humans couldn’t comprehend.

“He was much, _much_ worse,” he said, partly to reassure Cas, but mainly because it was the truth. “Believe me. I had no idea you could feel so uncomfortable while being cuddled.”

Cas’ scent turned sweet with happiness, thick as honey. “Really?”

If praising his cuddle technique made Cas smell like that, Dean would make sure to tell him how good it felt as often as possible.

“Yeah. It’s not even a competition. When I’m cuddling with _you_ , it feels _so much_ better.”

As soon as Dean had said it, he buried his nose in Cas’ neck and—whoa! That was some awesome happy omega scent. One might get addicted to it.

“Seriously,” Dean went on, leaving Cas’ scent gland alone for a second so that he could talk, “how’d you learn to cuddle like that? Best feeling ever.”

Cas’ neck was turning pink, his cheeks flushing all the way to his ears. Embarrassed Cas was rather adorable, but the happy scent was still there, so Dean took another whiff. And then another one because he couldn’t get enough of it.

Part of him wondered what Cas smelled like when he was aroused, but he quickly pushed that thought away. He shouldn’t be perving on Cas like that. The omega was very clearly _not_ having any dirty thoughts, his soft dick just lying snug against Dean’s stomach, only separated by the thin fabric of their pajamas.

Dean should totally ask him if anything was off-limits. Like… was dick cuddling allowed, too? That would be an awkward question, though, which was why Dean simply tried not to move too much.

After a while, Cas was having another snack—Dean could tell because the nice tingly feeling was back—and finally, he started to feel a bit drowsy.

⁂

Waking up after a solid eight hours of uninterrupted sleep was a new experience. A very welcome one—especially since Cas was still there, snuggled up against him, not freaking out, but actually asleep himself.

Resisting the urge to pump his fist into the air in victory, he decided to kiss Cas good morning, instead. He was going for the usual peck on the forehead when he remembered all of the different ways a cuddlibus was used to showing affection. So, he nudged Cas’ cheek with his nose like Cas had shown him last night.

Cas blinked his eyes open, and his hand started fumbling around until he found Dean’s.

Handholding? Sure. Dean was game. Seemed like their cuddle marathon wasn’t over yet.

But then Cas’ hand slipped further to his wrist and pulled his arm up over the cover. Oh, he just wanted to check the watch. Not that Dean was disappointed or anything.

“Sleep well?” he asked once Cas had released his arm, apparently satisfied with what the watch had told him.

“Isn’t the question supposed to be did _you_ sleep well?”

“Like a pup,” Dean replied without missing a beat, shooting Cas a grin. “Want some breakfast?” he offered, leaning closer and pulling Cas against him so that he could stroke his back with one hand and play with his unruly hair with the other.

He had learned a trick or two while cuddling with Cas, too, and knew just the right kind of touch Cas enjoyed.

“I’m not hungry in the morning,” Cas declined, but he returned the hug nevertheless, even without feeding on the offered cuddles.

“Shame,” Dean teased, raising his eyebrows playfully. “You could have me for breakfast any day you want.”

Cas narrowed his eyes in confusion. Figured that he wouldn’t recognize he was being flirted with.

What was Dean _doing_ flirting with his asexual best friend anyway? All that cuddling had to have messed with his head. Just because they were in some weird _platonic_ cuddle relationship didn’t mean he had a shot at more here.

He gave Cas another cuddlibus kiss and then disentangled himself so that he could get out of bed. “Yeah, well, _I_ need something to eat, so…”

He would definitely prefer staying in bed with Cas all day, but obviously, that only made him reckless. He should really rein in his flirting energy and stop coming on to his best friend, who was only trying to help him out.


	7. Chapter 7

Being in a cuddle relationship with a cuddlibus had the advantage that this was a two-way street, and so Cas started initiating contact, too. In typical Cas fashion, it started off in a roundabout way, with a hesitant, “Are you tired?” one evening.

Dean hadn’t even realized what the question was really about, so of course, he had turned the offer unwittingly down. “Nah, it’s only nine o’clock.” As soon as he realized his mistake, he added, “But if you’re hungry, I’m game for a cuddle.”

From then on, Cas would be more forward. He’d say “I’m hungry” and whoosh, the next thing Dean knew, he’d get a full-body cuddlibus hug.

Not that he was complaining. Quite the opposite. He had finally managed to draw Cas out of his shell, and he intended to enjoy every second of their cuddle time. Never mind the fact that all the physical contact was fueling his crush, reminding his alpha that this omega was single and would make a great mate.

That’s why Dean’s resolve not to flirt with Cas too much wasn’t going so well. But since Cas was completely oblivious, he figured that was okay. After all, Cas wouldn’t pick up on the fact that someone was flirting with him if that someone performed a naked mating dance for him.

That meant it was perfectly safe for Dean to say something like, “I could snack on you, too, you know?” because all he got back was the signature head tilt and a dry “You’re not a cuddlibus, Dean.”

So, yeah, flirting with Cas was a perfectly harmless way of tricking his alpha into believing he got what he really wanted—which was propositioning Cas. Or maybe professing his love. Something with ‘pro.’

Another new aspect of their cuddle relationship: They indulged in some cuddles on the couch from time to time while watching TV because they were great at multitasking like that. According to Cas, a cuddle relationship entailed cuddling outside of feedings, too, so they were pretty much touching any time they were in the same room.

The first time they held hands outside of their home, Sam looked at them curiously, but he kept his mouth shut when Dean glared at him hard enough. No reason to make Cas feel weird about his species’ customs. If that meant Dean had to hold his hand or snake his arm around his waist or scent mark him… then that was a sacrifice Dean was willing to make.

At this point, Dean had become a pro at cuddling. All those cuddle positions Cas had taught him? He knew them all, and could effortlessly switch from one to another mid-cuddle.

It was during one of their non-feeding cuddle sessions on the couch during a commercial break that Cas said, out of nowhere, “I’ll tell you a secret if you tell me one.”

While weird, even by Cas’ standards, it seemed like a dare, so of course Dean said, “You’re on.” And then, “You first,” because he had no idea what kind of secret they were going for here.

“You probably don’t remember, but we’ve talked about why it’s easier for me to feed on you than anyone else,” Cas said while pulling Dean’s arm around him and wriggling in for a deeper cuddle.

Of course, Dean remembered. Cas had mentioned it was easier to feed on him than on _Balthazar_. Although he was pretty sure the ‘anyone else’ part hadn’t come up.

“Emotionally, we have to be close to the person we’re cuddling in order to feed on their cuddle energy,” Cas went on. “And while Balthazar and I were friends—you and I, we’re… we’re _best_ friends. So, we’re very close, wouldn’t you say?”

He stopped snuggling against Dean in order to look at him, something hesitant in his eyes as if Dean might actually say that he was mistaken.

“I mean… sure,” Dean said because Cas was probably the person he was closest to in the whole world, even including Sam. Not that he could put it in as many words. Or any words, really. But Cas had to know that.

“That’s why your cuddles taste so good,” Cas concluded.

Dean didn’t quite know what to say. This was a weird secret. Why hadn’t Cas just said that in the first place? Best friend cuddles trump normal friend cuddles—seemed pretty straightforward. Unless there was something he was leaving out. Maybe he wasn’t as oblivious to Dean’s feelings as he pretended to be? Could he tell just by cuddling him that Dean’s feelings went a lot deeper than simple friendship?

“Your turn,” Cas reminded him, leaning against him.

Dean wasn’t in the habit of keeping secrets from Cas—apart from that one big one, but revealing that one would only serve to make Cas uncomfortable, so he had to think for a moment.

Since Cas had already mentioned Balthazar, he was reminded of something.

“I didn’t like Balthazar…”

“That’s not a secret. I knew that already,” Cas interrupted him.

“If you would let me _finish_. I didn’t like Balthazar because he got to cuddle with you all the time.”

That was as close to the word ‘jealous’ as he was willing to get, and it totally counted as a secret.

The second he had said it, he felt the familiar tingling sensation.

“Mmmmh,” Cas hummed.

“Dude. Are you… are you feeding on my _secret_?” He’d never heard of cuddlibi feeding off anything other than cuddles. But then again, he had recently found out that he didn’t know all that much about his best friend’s species. Apart from what Sam had told him. In any case, he was still finding out new aspects all the time.

“Don’t be ridiculous, of course not,” Cas said. “I’m feeding on _trust_.”

Yep. Definitely still learning new things. What the hell was that even supposed to mean?

“Come again?”

“I told you, it’s about feelings, emotions. It takes a great deal of trust to tell someone your secrets. It’s the same trust you need to let someone close enough to cuddle with you. It’s all about how you connect with someone on a deeper level.”

Something else to file under ‘strange cuddlibus tidbits.’

“Anything else you feed on that I don’t know about? You know, so that I can be prepared for a sneak feeding attack?”

Cas changed their cuddle position and mumbled, “No” without looking at him.

So much for trust.

But now that Dean knew Cas enjoyed to feast on the occasional secret, he might barter for another one soon. He just had to come up with something he hadn’t told Cas before so that he had something to offer in return.

⁂

With an alpha and an omega constantly touching, constantly exchanging hugs and kisses, it was only a matter of time before things would escalate.

They had woken up together as usual, and Cas was snacking on Dean cuddling him (he seemed to like some cuddles for breakfast just fine). There was some kissing because Cas said those tasted the best, and… well, Little Dean got the wrong impression there. Too much stroking, too much friction… or maybe not enough.

A beeping sound interrupted their cuddle time. Dean quickly disentangled himself from Cas so that he could get the smartwatch to shut the fuck up.

“Dean.” Cas stopped feeding and looked at him all wide-eyed. “Something is wrong. Dean? Your heartbeat is too elevated.”

“Forget the damn watch,” Dean said, trying to hide what was going on underneath the covers.

“Oh.”

Great. Didn’t realize that when someone kept staring into his eyes, they were trying to communicate interest, but this? This, he had to pick up on. Luckily, this was Cas, so there was no way he would mention—

“Are you aroused? You smell aroused.”

… Or maybe he would.

“Look, not everyone is accustomed to hardcore cuddling that doesn’t lead to anything, okay? For humans, kissing, and holding each other and shit… That’s pretty relationshippy. So I think my dick can be excused for being a bit unclear on what’s going on here.”

Cas blinked at him, all ‘I didn’t know alphas could get aroused by cuddling with an omega,’ which was just—come on! And then he said, “We _are_ in a relationship.”

“Yeah, I’m not talking about a weird cuddlibus relationship. I meant a real one.”

Cas narrowed his eyes, which was how Dean knew he had said the wrong thing. “Weird?” Cas repeated without inflection.

“You know, by human standards,” Dean quickly clarified.

But he had already put his foot in his mouth. “Maybe _you’re_ the weird ones,” Cas retorted.

Cas really had him there, so Dean mumbled, “You’re probably right about that.”

It seemed like he had removed his foot from his mouth because Cas’ scent turned calm, and he returned to snuggling against him.

“Maybe both our species are a bit weird,” Cas conceded.

Seemed like Dean had navigated his way out of that conversation relatively unharmed…

“So, do you want me to cuddle your penis?”

Brain: offline.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! As always, I'd love to hear from you in the comment section. 💖


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